‘Team’ comes out in force for Lady Dragons
Clinton’s Belle Starnes was a solid presence on the floor for the Lady Dragons in the South Fork Physical Therapy Christmas Classic.
On Monday, the Lady Dragons fell to a very good Pickett County team by a score of 73-52.
“We weren’t ready to play when we came out. They were more aggressive than we were. We weren’t the Lady Dragons we have been much of this year,” said Alicia Phillips, head coach of the Lady Dragons.
“It was a tough game for us. They’re [Pickett County] a very good ball team - probably the best team we’ve played,” she said.
The Lady Dragons trailed by just two points at 18-16 at the end of the first quarter.
Pickett County extended that lead to 38-26 in the second quarter. Clinton stayed within striking distance until the fourth quarter when Pickett County exploded for 25 points and pulled away for the win.
Sarah Burton led Clinton with 28 points.
PCH 18 20 10 25 73
CHS 16 10 9 17 52
CHS - Sarah Burton (28), Belle Starnes (7), Bailey Burroughs (6), Sydney Herrell (5), Addison Del Carmen (4), Ally York (2)
On Tuesday, the Lady Dragons got back on track with a 44-32 win over host Scott in a non-district game.
The score was as close as it could get in the first half as the two teams played to a 9-9 tie in the first quarter and remained tied at 18-18 at halftime.
In the third quarter, the Lady Dragons got a little separation as they went ahead 32-24.
“Sarah [Burton] got in foul trouble and went out early in the third quarter with four fouls. It was tied when she had to sit down with six minutes left in the quarter. Our team did a great job. We got an 8-10 point lead early in the fourth quarter,” Phillips said.
“It was a pretty good team win so I was excited about that,” she said.
They held off a late push by the Lady Highlanders to hang on for the win.
Burton led all scorers with 16 points.
CHS 9 9 14 12 44
SHS 9 9 6 8 32
CHS - Sarah Burton (16), Belle Starnes (9), Sydney Herrell (8), Ally York (6), Bailey Burroughs (5)
Scott - Brittany Morrow (9), Julie LeWallen (7), Julie Lawson (6), Zoey Terry (4), Alaina Duncan (4), Brianna Jeffers (2)
On Wednesday, Ally York sent the Lady Dragons into Christmas break with a win as Clinton downed Mt. Pisgah Christian Academy 58-57.
“This is not the same Mt. Pisgah we’ve seen in the past. They tested us and gave us a tough game,” Phillips said.
Trailing 57-55 with just four seconds left in the game, York knocked down a 3-pointer to give the Lady Dragons the win in thrilling fashion.
Burton led Clinton with 17 points. She was one of four Lady Dragons with double-digit scoring for the game, which also included Sydney Herrell (15), Ally York (12) and Belle Starnes (10).
“Ally [York] hit four big 3’s. Belle Starnes hit three 3’s and Sarah [Burton] played tough. They played a box and one on her. She kept her cool and played through it. I was proud of the team for really picking her up,” Phillips said.
“We’ve got to have more offensive-minded kids like we had in the game. My freshmen keep getting better and better so I’m excited about the way things are going. That was probably the best team win we’ve had all year long,” she said.
The Lady Dragons (8-4 overall, 3-0 in district play) are playing in a tournament at Harriman this week. They play Oakdale on Wednesday, Dec. 29 at 4 p.m.
They host region power Seymour on Tuesday, Jan. 4 at 6 p.m.
Mt. Pisgah - Stats were not available at press time
CHS - Sarah Burton (17), Sydney Herrell (15), Ally York (12), Belle Starnes (10), Bailey Burroughs (4)